Compliance
HIPAA
Privacy Statement
This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to
this information. This policy also describes how THE BRIDGE may use other information about you. Please review it
carefully.
Who We Are: This Notice describes the privacy practices of THE BRIDGE, their employees (including counselors, nurses,
and treatment aides), and other individuals that work at THE BRIDGE. (THE BRIDGE refers to the THE BRIDGE’s residential
substance abuse treatment centers, intensive outpatient centers, counselor offices, and other facilities.)
- Our Privacy Obligations: Certain laws require THE BRIDGE to maintain the privacy of medical and health
information about you (“Protected Health Information”) and to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties
and privacy practices with respect to Protected Health Information. When we use or disclose Protected Health
Information, we are required to abide by the terms of this Notice (or other notice in effect at the time of the
use or disclosure). - Uses and Disclosures with Your Consent or Your Authorization
- Use and Disclosure With Your Consent. As a condition of treatment, except in
an emergency or other special circumstances, we will ask you to read and sign a written consent (“Your
Consent”) to our use and disclosure of Protected Health Information for purposes of treatment provided
to you, obtaining payment for services provided to you, and for our health care operations (e.g.,
internal administration, quality improvement, and customer service), as detailed below:- Treatment. We use and disclose Protected Health Information to provide
treatment and other services to you; for example, to diagnose and treat your injury or
illness. In addition, we may contact you to provide appointment reminders or information
about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be
of interest to you. - Payment. We may use and disclose Protected Health Information to obtain
payment for services that we provide to you at a BRIDGE facility. For example, we may
use or disclose
Protected Health Information to claim and obtain payment from your health insurer, HMO,
or other company that arranges or pays the cost of some or all of your health care
(“Your
Payer”), and to verify that Your Payer will pay for health care. - Health Care Operations. At THE BRIDGE, we use and disclose Protected
Health Information for our health care operations, which include internal administration
and planning and various activities that improve the quality and cost effectiveness of
the care that we deliver to you.
- Treatment. We use and disclose Protected Health Information to provide
- Use or Disclosure with Your Authorization. As described above, Your Consent only permits us to use Protected Health
Information for purposes of treatment, payment, and our health care operations. We may use or disclose Protected Health
Information for any reason other than treatment, payment, and health care operations only when (1) you give us your
authorization on our authorization form (“Your Authorization”) or (2) there is an exception described in Section IV
below.
- Use and Disclosure With Your Consent. As a condition of treatment, except in
- Uses and Disclosures Without Your Consent or Your Authorization
- Use or Disclosure For Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations Without Your Consent or Your Authorization. At
THE BRIDGE, we may use or disclose Protected Health Information for purposes of treatment, obtaining payment, and our
health care operations without Your Consent or Your Authorization under the following three circumstances: (1) when you
require emergency treatment; (2) when we are required by law to treat you and we attempt to obtain Your Consent, but are
unable to obtain it; and (3) when we attempt to obtain Your Consent but are unable to obtain it due to substantial
barriers to communicating with you (e.g., you are unconscious or otherwise incapacitated) and we reasonably infer that
you would have consented in the absence of the barriers. - Disclosure to Relatives and Close Friends. When you are present in a BRIDGE facility and are capable of communicating, we may use or disclose Protected Health
Information to a family member, other relative, a close personal friend, or to any other person identified by you, if we
(1) obtain your agreement; (2) provide you with the opportunity to object to the disclosure and you do not object; or
(3) reasonably infer that you do not object to the disclosure.If you are not present, or the opportunity to agree or object to a use or disclosure cannot practicably be provided
because of your incapacity or an emergency circumstance, we may exercise our professional judgment to determine whether
a disclosure is in your best interests. If we disclose information to a family member, other relative, or a close
personal friend, we would disclose only information that is directly relevant to the person’s involvement with your
health care. - Fundraising Communications. We may contact you to request a tax deductible contribution to support important activities
of THE BRIDGE. In connection with any fundraising, we may disclose to our fundraising staff demographic information
about you (e.g., your name, address, and phone number) and dates of health care that we provided to you. - Marketing Communications. We may use or disclose Protected Health Information to identify health-related services and products that may be
beneficial to your health and then contact you about the services and products. - Public Health Activities. We may disclose Protected Health Information for the following public health activities and purposes: (1) to report
health information to public health authorities for the purpose of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or
disability, as required by law and public health concerns; (2) to report child abuse and neglect to public health
authorities or other government authorities authorized by law to receive such reports; (3) to report information about
products under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; (4) to alert a person who may have been
exposed to a communicable disease or may otherwise be at risk to contracting or spreading a disease or condition; and
(5) to report information to your employer as required under laws addressing work related illnesses and injuries or
workplace medical surveillance. - Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence. We may disclose Protected Health Information without Your Consent or Authorization to a government authority, including
a social service or protective services agency, authorized by law to receive reports of such abuse, neglect, or domestic
violence, if we reasonably believe you are a victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. - Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose Protected Health Information to a health oversight agency that oversees the health care system and
ensures compliance with the rules of government health programs such as Medicare or Medicaid. - Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. We may disclose Protected Health Information in the course of a judicial or administrative proceeding in response to a
legal order or other lawful process. - Law Enforcement Officials. We may disclose Protected Health Information to the police or other law enforcement officials as required by law or in
compliance with a court order. - Health or Safety. We may disclose Protected Health Information to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to a person’s or the
public’s health or safety. - Specialized Government Functions. We may disclose Protected Health Information to units of the government with special functions, such as the U.S.
military or the U.S. Department of State. - Decedents. We may disclose Protected Health Information to a coroner or medical examiner as authorized by law.
- Organ and Tissue Procurement. We may disclose Protected Health Information to organizations that facilitate organ, eye, or tissue procurement,
banking, or transplantation. - Research. We may use or disclose Protected Health Information without your consent or authorization if our Institutional Review
Board or Privacy Board approves a waiver of authorization for disclosure. - Workers’ Compensation. We may disclose Protected Health Information as necessary to comply with workers’ compensation laws.
- Use or Disclosure For Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations Without Your Consent or Your Authorization. At
- Your Individual Rights
- For Further Information; Complaints. If you desire further information about your privacy rights, are concerned that we have violated your privacy rights, or
disagree with a decision that we made about access to Protected Health Information, you may contact our Privacy Officer.
You may also file written complaints with the Director, Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. Upon request, the Privacy Office will provide you with the correct address for the Director. We will not
retaliate against you if you file a complaint with the Director or us. - Right to Request Additional Restrictions. You may request restrictions on our use and disclosure of Protected Health Information (1) for treatment, payment, and
health care operations, (2) to individuals (such as a family member, other relative, close personal friend, or any other
person identified by you) involved with your care or with payment related to your care, or (3) to notify or assist in
the notification of such individuals regarding your location and general condition. While we will consider all requests
for additional restrictions carefully, we are not required to agree to a requested restriction. - Right to Receive Confidential Communications. You may request, and we will accommodate, any reasonable written request for you to receive Protected Health Information
by alternative means of communication or at alternative locations. - Right to Inspect and Copy Your Health Information. You may request access to your medical record file, as well as your enrollment, payment, claims adjudication, case,
medical management records, and your billing records maintained by us in order to inspect and request copies of the
records. Under limited circumstances, we may deny you access to a portion of your records. If you request a copy or
copies of your record, you will be charged a cost-based fee for each copy. - Right to Amend Your Records. You have the right to request that we amend Protected Health Information maintained in your medical record file,
enrollment, payment, claims adjudication, case, medical management records, or billing records. We will comply with your
request unless we believe that the information that would be amended is accurate and complete or other special
circumstances apply. - Right to Receive Paper Copy of This Notice. Upon request, you may obtain a paper copy of this Notice, even if you agreed to receive such notice electronically.
- For Further Information; Complaints. If you desire further information about your privacy rights, are concerned that we have violated your privacy rights, or
- Effective Date and Duration of This Notice
- Effective Date. This Notice describes the privacy policy of THE BRIDGE that will become effective on or before April 14, 2003, the date
that federal law specifies for these protections of Protected Health Information. Prior to the effective date, THE
BRIDGE will continue to protect your Protected Health Information as required by other applicable laws, regulations, and
policies. - Right to Change Terms of this Notice. We may change the terms of this Notice at any time. If we change this Notice, we may make the new notice terms effective
for all Protected Health Information that we maintain, including any information created or received prior to issuing
the new notice. If we change this Notice, we will post the new notice in waiting areas around THE BRIDGE Facilities, and
on our Internet site at https://www.bridgeinc.org. You also may obtain any new notice by contacting the Privacy Officer.
- Effective Date. This Notice describes the privacy policy of THE BRIDGE that will become effective on or before April 14, 2003, the date
- Privacy Officer
You may contact the Privacy Officer at:
Privacy Officer The Bridge, Inc.,
3232 Lay Springs Road, Gadsden, AL 35904
info@bridgeinc.org
Child Nutrition Program
The Bridge Wellness Policy
The Bridge is committed to the optimal development of every client. We believe that for clients to have the opportunity
to achieve personal, academic, developmental, and social success, we need to create a positive, safe, and healthy
learning environment. This policy outlines The Bridge’s approach to ensuring environments and opportunities for all
clients to practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors throughout the day. This policy applies to all
clients enrolled in a residential program on the Gadsden campus of The Bridge. The designated staff member for
implementation of this policy is the Performance Improvement Director of The Bridge.
This policy and any subsequent revision will be maintained on The Bridge web site at https://www.bridgeinc.org under the
compliance tab for public review and comment.
- Wellness Committee
The Bridge has appointed a Wellness Committee that is made up of representatives of the Northwood program, the nursing department, food services department and administrative staff. This committee will meet at least one
time per year to develop an annual plan, review satisfaction data, menus, critical incidents, and compliance with this
policy. Recommendations or suggested changes will be submitted to senior administrative staff for review and possible
actions. An annual report will also be prepared and will be available for review by any stakeholder.Leadership
Senior administrative staff (The Bridge Executive Committee) is made up of the Executive Director, Associate Executive
Director, Performance Improvement Director, and Clinical Director. This wellness leadership team meets monthly and will be actively involved in ensuring on-going compliance with this policy.Public Involvement
The Bridge will solicit input from teachers, campus employees, clients and family members in the development,
implementation and compliance with the Wellness Plan. This will be done through staff meetings, family counseling
sessions and satisfaction surveys from clients. - Wellness Policy Implementation
Implementation Plan
The Wellness Committee will develop an annual implementation plan. This plan will include goals and objectives for
improvement and corrections, as well as the assignment of staff to be responsible for each action item. Records will be
kept of all meetings of the Wellness Committee, as well as the progress made on each identified goal in the
implementation plan. All records related to the Wellness Policy and the implementation plan will be maintained on file
and will be available during any compliance/audit visit. These records will also be available for public review. - Nutrition
School Meals
The Bridge is committed to serving healthy meals to children, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and
fat-free and low-fat milk; moderate in sodium, low in saturated fat, and zero grams trans-fat per serving (nutrition
label or manufacturer’s specification); and to meet the nutrition needs of clients within their calorie requirements.
The meal program aims to improve the diet and health of clients, help mitigate childhood obesity, model healthy eating
to support the development of lifelong healthy eating patterns, and support healthy choices while accommodating cultural
food preferences and special dietary needs.
The Bridge participates in the USDA child nutrition program, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the
School Breakfast Program (SBP). Meals served at The Bridge:- Are accessible to all clients.
- Are appealing and attractive to children.
- Are served in clean and pleasant settings.
- Meet or exceed current nutrition requirements established by local, state, and Federal statutes and regulations. (The
Bridge offers reimbursable school meals that meet USDA nutrition standards.) - Menus will be posted and will include nutrient content and ingredients.
- Menus will be created/reviewed by a Registered Dietitian or other certified nutrition professional.
- Meals are administered by a team of child nutrition professionals.
- The Bridge child nutrition program will accommodate clients with special dietary needs.
- Clients will be allowed at least 10 minutes to eat breakfast and at least 20 minutes to eat lunch, counting from the
time they have received their meal and are seated. Meals are served at a reasonable and appropriate time of day.
Marketing and advertising of food and beverages is not allowed on the campus of The Bridge.
Staff Qualifications and Professional Development
All school nutrition program directors, managers, and staff will meet or exceed hiring and annual continuing
education/training requirements as required by the USDA. These school nutrition personnel will receive continuous
training relevant to their job.Water
To promote hydration, free, safe, unflavored drinking water will be available to all clients throughout the day. The
Bridge will make drinking water available where meals are served during mealtimes. All water sources and containers will
be maintained on a regular basis to ensure good hygiene standards.Nutrition Education
The Bridge aims to teach, model, encourage, and support healthy eating by clients. We will provide nutrition education
and engage in nutrition promotion that will encourage clients to eat healthy during and after leaving the campus
programs of The Bridge. - Physical Activity
In addition to proper nutrition, The Bridge campus programs offer recreation activities on a daily basis. These
activities include numerous sports and games done both outside and in the campus gymnasium. These activities include
basketball, kickball, softball, and other team activities. A walking track is also available for clients. - Triennial Assessments
An on-going assessment will be conducted to determine compliance with this policy. However, The Bridge will conduct a
thorough assessment every three years to determine:- Overall compliance with the Wellness Policy
- How the Wellness Policy compares to other model wellness policies, and
- Progress made in attaining the goals of the Wellness Policy
The results of the triennial assessments will be made available to the public through The Bridge web site and for anyone
requesting a copy.In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and
policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA
programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or
retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large
print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for
benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal
Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than
English.To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found
online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to
USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form,
call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:- Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; - Fax:(202) 690-7442
- Email:program.intake@usda.gov.
The Bridge is an equal opportunity provider.
